Volunteer Insight on Miracle Friends
Author, Mia Fenner | 08/14/2022
Hillary Armstrong is a new volunteer with the Miracle Friends program; however, she has a unique background that has allowed her to bond even more with her Miracle Friend, Anna. As a trained crisis counselor, through Crisis Text Line www.crisistextline.org, Hillary can assess what Anna needs and be the best support system she can be for her.
Initially, Anna had a hard time opening up with Hillary and struggled with depression and past trauma. During their first call, Anna shared some of her feelings surrounding self-harm and Hillary was concerned for her well-being. However, because of Hillary’s training in crisis counseling, she was able to assess Anna’s mental health to ensure she was not at imminent risk. After her assessment, Hillary utilized her education in mental health counseling to help calm Anna and make her feel safer emotionally.
Further, Hillary worked to overcome any of Anna’s hesitation to reach out by reassuring her that the entire purpose of the program was so Anna could have a friend who she could consistently lean on. Hillary understood that Anna had grown up with a hard childhood and therefore was more hesitant to allow others in. With this in mind, Hillary made it a priority to offer unconditional emotional support available at any time Anna needed her.
The two continue to maintain their friendship and Hillary has made great strides in providing a safe space for Anna to grieve some of the losses she has faced throughout her life. The largest lesson and takeaway Hillary has as a volunteer is as follows, “we cannot solve anybody’s problems or ‘fix’ any of their struggles, but we can have a huge impact by just showing up, letting them know that we care, that they do matter and they are not alone,” (Hillary).
Above is a photo of Anna with her dog.
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